By bringing together a broad cross section of stakeholders in government and industry to shape a national strategy for the Internet of Things, the bipartisan DIGIT Act would put the United States on track to secure the enormous potential benefits this technology has to offer for both the private sector and the public. To make the United States more competitive and seize on all the opportunities from the Internet of Things, this working group should focus broadly on all challenges and opportunities the technology presents.

The DIGIT Act creates a working group and steering committee that together will address some of the most pressing challenges facing the Internet of Things, such as ensuring federal agencies are prepared to adopt the Internet of Things and identifying spectrum needs, both of which market forces alone cannot readily overcome. With the Secretary of Commerce at the helm, the working group promises to help the United States capitalize on the enormous economic benefits the Internet of Things will offer.

The findings of this working group will provide policymakers with the necessary framework to craft a national strategy for the Internet of Things, which would ensure the technology develops cohesively and rapidly, that consumers and businesses do not face barriers to adoption, and that the public and private sectors can take full advantage of the opportunities the Internet of Things can create. If the United States gets its national strategy right, there is simply no telling the scope of the benefits it can provide.

For this to be a success though, the Secretary should broaden the focus to examine additional challenges facing the Internet of Things. For example, as the Internet of Things generates huge amounts of data for the public and private sectors to act upon, the United States will need to ensure that it produces a workforce capable of taking advantage of this data.

Finally, given the transformative potential of the Internet of Things for health care, cities, agriculture, and other important sectors, we encourage the Secretary to include representatives from agencies that can help maximize these opportunities, such as the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Agriculture.

Daniel Castro is the director of the Center for Data Innovation and vice president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Mr. Castro writes and speaks on a variety of issues related to information technology and internet policy, including data, privacy, security, intellectual property, internet governance, e-government, and accessibility for people with disabilities. His work has been quoted and cited in numerous media outlets, including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, USA Today, Bloomberg News, and Businessweek. In 2013, Mr. Castro was named to FedScoop’s list of “Top 25 most influential people under 40 in government and tech.” In 2015, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker appointed Mr. Castro to the Commerce Data Advisory Council.
Mr. Castro previously worked as an IT analyst at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) where he audited IT security and management controls at various government agencies. He contributed to GAO reports on the state of information security at a variety of federal agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). In addition, Mr. Castro was a Visiting Scientist at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he developed virtual training simulations to provide clients with hands-on training of the latest information security tools. He has a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and an M.S. in Information Security Technology and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.